New administration decides against extending state of emergency

At its first cabinet meeting, the new government headed by Petr Fiala, decided not to ask the lower house to extend the Covid-related state of emergency in the country introduced on November 25 for a period of 30 days.

Although Covid numbers have been dropping in recent days, health experts warn that the Omicron variant which was detected in the country a week ago may now have reached the stage of community spread and could turn around the situation very quickly.

The state of emergency in crucial for the introduction of certain restrictive measures such as pubs and restaurants closing their doors by 10pm or the ban on Christmas markets.

Prime Minister Fiala said the situation was not critical at the present time, adding that the government would monitor developments closely and respond in the event of need.